Operations The company operates some of railways, of them electrified. Most of the tracks are constructed to the
broad Iberian gauge of , the same as that used in
Portugal but wider than the international gauge of which is standard in most of the rest of the world. The newer
high-speed (
AVE) network has been built to the international
standard gauge of for the connection to the rest of the European railway system. For this reason, the gauge is generally termed "European gauge" in Spain. Construction of a
high-speed rail line between
Madrid and
Seville began in 1988 and began operations in 1991, going . The second high-speed rail line (Madrid to
Barcelona) was completed in 2007 with the inaugural service commencing on 20 February 2008. The operational speed on this route is . The greater part of the line (Madrid to
Lleida) entered service on 11 October 2003, with a connection to
Huesca from
Zaragoza. The third high-speed line (Madrid to
Toledo) was opened in November 2005, followed by a spur from
Córdoba to
Málaga as far as
Antequera in 2007. Another high-speed route from Madrid to
Valladolid was opened in 2007. A line from Madrid to
Valencia was opened in 2010, and the first stage of a high-speed line in
Galicia opened in 2011. A line to
Lisbon is being designed. Other lines operated by Renfe include
Euromed, a moderate-speed line between Barcelona and Alicante. In addition to
intercity transport, Renfe operates
commuter train systems, known as
Cercanías (or
Rodalies/
Rodalia in Catalonia and Valencia,
Proximidades in Galicia, and
Aldirikoak in the Basque Country), in fifteen metropolitan areas, including Madrid and Barcelona. In some cities, Renfe shares the market with other commuter railway operators, such as
FGC. In 2019, Renfe solicited bids for 31 new trains for the Asturias and Cantabria regions and the €258m contract was awarded to the CAF (
Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles) in June 2020. Around February 2023, authorities discovered the designs were for the wrong loading gauge and would be too wide for the tunnels. Amidst international embarrassment, Renfe and ADIF each tried to deflect responsibility, and some called for the firing of the executives deemed responsible. Fortunately, the trains were still being designed, however the delivery of the trains will be delayed until 2026. In November 2024, Renfe bought a 33% shareholding in
Arenaways. == Passenger rolling stock ==